Sparks Fly
by Kazahana Yukina
Summary: It pained her to know that she, the weapons specialist in the whole leaf country, couldn't even hit the mark she set her eyes and heart upon. Neji X Tenten


**Another NejiTen... =)**

**This is not a song-fic. It was inspired by Taylor Swift's song 'Sparks Fly' hence the story's title.**

**One question: is there any scientific explanation as to why rainy days bring out the best of inspirations? =)**

**Thereupon I tip my hat off to the thunderstorm the night when this story was formed in my mind.**

**DISCLAIMER: Yukina doesn't, in any way, own any of the characters mentioned in the story below.**

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><p><strong>SPARKS FLY<strong>

_Drop everything now. Meet me in the pouring rain._

The rain was pouring. Hard.

Heavy footsteps being dragged could be heard mingling along with the sounds of the raindrops hitting the sidewalk, though no one was there to hear. While all other people were inside the comforts of their own home, one particular kunoichi was not minding of her current predicament as she walked aimlessly through the melancholy streets of Konoha.

She was mildly shivering: an indication of the toll the weather was now imposing on her. Yet she didn't mind at all. Her blank eyes stared at the stream of water gathering between the crevices of the pavement, while her mind was off into its own wistful world.

She shouldn't let the inevitable happen.

Quite ironic, isn't it?

She was proud of herself, being the strongest kunoichi in her batch, and probably the greatest and _only _weapons specialist Konoha has ever produced. She needs not to go through any more trouble just to prove her prowess to all people. One expert look into her deep, hazel eyes were enough.

Yet, what chances could all these achievements stand against _him_?

It wasn't as if she couldn't face him head on. In fact, she admits, draw sparring results were becoming more frequent now in their current age than when they were still genins. But yet, that fact did little to comfort her aching soul at the truth that no matter how much she tries, the goal she was trying to reach was nothing sort of attainable.

She pondered on the results of the earlier sparring this day, a couple of hours before the rain fell. Sure, everything was just the same as it was before: she threw weapon after weapon, he dodged according to his will. She tried to incapacitate him; he avoided each attempt with the same grace he possessed, if not greater. And when they ended their spar, her left hand holding a kunai just centimeters below his jugular vein, the same time his chakra concentrated hand was directly over her heart, it was technically a sparring no different from their other days.

And yet, it didn't stop her from quivering, and she was sure it had nothing to do with the thermal conditions.

The way he moves was like a heavy fall on a rainstorm, and she was a house of cards, ready to topple down on the mere tap of his finger. As much as she tried to overcome this reality, it seemed that it was impossible. No matter how much she tried, it was clear to her that her efforts were not going to go further than what he deemed. He was the strongest one she knew: the only jounin in their batch, the prodigy of his clan, and a pride of Konoha and Team Gai. The worst is he had goals- goals in life that would be too precious to let go and leave be. And her? She was just a weapons specialist. Nothing more, nothing less.

And it pained her more to know that she, the _only weapons specialist in the village of the Leaf, _couldn't hit the mark she had her eyes upon.

She drew in a shaky breath, trying to make sense in her literally whirling world. Her body was protesting but she didn't mind it. As long as she was conscious, she would refuse to go back to her own home, where the silence reigns and the reminiscing were too much to bear for her own sanity.

Suddenly, she felt a light pressure on her shoulder, causing her to look to its source. And there he stood, with the same unemotional façade – I say façade- as before. Nevertheless, contrary to what she should be feeling, she just stood still, staring at his deep lavender eyes with courage she never even thought she had. Or was she mistaken? Was it courage, or just the feeling of defeat that enabled her to do so?

He furrowed his eyebrows. She didn't care. The closeness didn't bother her, though she could virtually feel the warm gusts of air he was exhaling. Right now, the only thing that ran on her mind was the small hope that his all seeing eyes wouldn't read through what she was thinking at the moment.

_Do you realize that my heart is yours all along?_

Right now, she focused her failing being into studying him, how his eyebrows were furrowed in a fraction of a millimeter, how his brown hair was soaked, framing his fair-skinned face, how his eyes, she knew, were deciphering her actions at the moment. She blinked, inwardly remembering her alone times wherein she would wake up in the silence of her home, half-dazed, half-flushed at the fact that the content of her previous dreams were none other that a young man with pair of lavender eyes and seemed to smile for her, and somehow, despite the feeling of uneasiness close to fear, she feels that little twinge of joy at the reality that he was with her, albeit if that was only a dream.

She blinked, another thought creeping in her mind that made her shoulder sag and he head bow down in shame.

Neji

Neji Hyuuga

Tenten

Tenten what?

A bloodline; a clan; a name; a legacy. These were things more foreign to her that any unorthodox weapon she first laid her calloused hands on. An orphan at the age of five, she didn't even have the chance to get to know her parents before they - well - as what she recall her caretaker say, passed away, their bodies not found. And even though she has a strong personality, it couldn't be helped that she would ponder on what the fangirls in the academy, knowing that she had her eyes on him, told her that day when they were assigned in the same team:

"_An orphan like you shouldn't even try to think that a prodigy like him could accept, even more so love, you."_

She didn't want to think on it, but somehow, logic has its way of seeping into people's reasoning.

"Tenten." And the hand on her shoulder moved to her chin.

She didn't offer any resistance when he willed her to look at him. There in his eyes were evident expressions of worry and curiosity at what possibly was the craziest thing a bubbling ball of energy like her would do. She wasn't like this, Neji knew. She wasn't the type to wander around aimlessly, letting herself be soaked by the freezing droplets of the angry overcast.

Her heart was guarded. That was one thing she fought hard to build in the years of her being a shinobi. Duty first before anything else; others first before yourself-wasn't this one of the rules taught to them when they were still in the academy? In fact this was her favorite one, as it allowed her to hide whatever she wanted to keep from the rest of the world.

Nonetheless, it was no good against him.

And she was sure that another minute of this unusual display of his affection would greatly push her beyond her limits.

She jerked her chin away, thankful that he didn't offer any other protests. Though surprised, he let her be, watching her with even more observant eyes than before.

Her shoulders shook as she, hoping to resume her aimless wandering, turned her back against him. She walked with heavier steps than before, her mind now processing the feeling of having hypothermia and the vertigo in her head. She continued to walk, now four, now five steps away from him, until her body couldn't take anymore torture and thus her strength leaving her.

She felt it when a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist and upper body, supporting her stand and denying what was supposed to be a hard hit on the pavement. She blinked tiredly, on the verge of collapse, but she didn't close her eyes fully, ironically afraid that she wouldn't wake up to the sound of his voice anymore. She felt it too when he shifted his posture, his one arm around her shoulders, the other under her legs and the next thing she knew, she was being lifted off the ground, her body feeling his warmth.

Involuntarily, her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers winding themselves onto his drenched hair, and her hazel eyes locked blankly onto his lavender ones. He didn't offer any resistance and for once, he responded, gazing back at her too as he took off to the direction of her apartment. Somehow, even if this moment was too good to be true and even if this moment was deemed by Tenten to be a distant dream, it felt perfect. It felt so right even though she knew full well that it's wrong.

Marveled by how his eyes seemed to glow in a way she couldn't understand, Tenten didn't even realize it when they arrived at their destination. He broke his gaze, to her disappointment, and proceeded to climb the stairs, mindful that they were both dripping wet thus careful not to skidder onto the wooden flights.

Amidst the blurriness of her senses and the fatigue, she heard him whisper soft and slow that made her all but hoping:

"It's all right. I'm here."

He's here.

That was enough to keep her from breaking.

Thanks to his help, she was able to gather up a few ounces of strength while they were on their way. She lay down on the bed, exhausted but dressed as he sat down at the edge, thankful that he had put to use the few clothes he left in her residence. She was reluctant to close her eyes; reluctant because he would set adrift once more and when she wakes up, she would be back to being broken again; that kind of broken with jagged pieces too impossible to mend alone.

Somehow, amidst her predicament, it was as if he himself had offered his company, as she felt the mattress bounce slightly at his added weight, and his arm once more snake around her shoulders, pulling her closer and placing his chin on the crown of her head. And that sense of fatigue became even harder to resist.

"You won't leave, will you?" she mumbled drearily.

She felt him inhale, and then: "No. I'll be here beside you."

For once, she felt that jagged piece inside of her grow insignificant, being replaced by the feeling of his warmth and his hold. And somehow, at last, she began to give in with her body's will, though a part of her wanted to stay with him, admiring how he seemed to be so protective of her, to her incredulity. Her eyes drooped, her breathing becoming less labored as finally, the darkness began to take over her. Despite that, it was as if she heard him whisper something reserved only for her, only that she was already sinking deeper on her way to the land of dreams.

Never mind. He'll be there the next morning to tell her.

He watched as her breathing became smooth and heard as her breathing became even to his sharp ears. Pulling her closer, he picked up her hand and gently brushed his lips against it before placing it on his now bare forehead. Promising his devotion, he closed his eyes and whispered once more the statement that he uttered a few minutes earlier:

"_I love you too, more than my own life."_

'_Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile._

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><p><strong>Yukina appreciates your taking a few minutes of your time to read her story! =)<strong>

**Kami no gokago ga arimasu youni..**


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